“Because…really…what’s the rush?” It’s a canned response I’ve dished out lately when parents have asked about testing my four-year-old daughter for early admittance into kindergarten. Willa bakes cakes, packs her own lunch for preschool, and has been picking out ensembles and dressing herself since she was three. She’ll be five in October, which means she…
Tag: Motherhood
What I Learned the Day I Called 9-1-1
It was Good Friday. My 6, 4 and 21 month old were home alone with me on Easter break. I’d had a fever since Wednesday but was waiting to see the doctor when the kids were back at school. Vander, my youngest, slept in until about 8:30 that morning but I didn’t think much of…
Not a Princess, But a Warrior
It’s 8:15 in the morning. The baby is smashing pancakes while my four-year-old daughter shouts in Korean. “Watch my crane kick, mom!” She executes a move with her skinny legs and just about falls over. I give her a high-five as she chops and shouts her way to the family room. A few months ago…
How to Read Your Little’s Mind
“We don’t typically write an incident report when the only first aid that’s required is an ice pack.” This was the principal’s response to my inquiry. A classmate tackled my son on the playground during recess. It wasn’t until the incident had escalated to something physical that my five-year-old told me this had happened more…
Resolutions for the Type-A Mama Bear
Seventeen. I had to rest my spoon on the side of the Nutella jar to keep scrolling, but that’s about when I stopped counting. Seventeen posts with pics of yoga mats, clean eating plates and organized toy rooms. While I’m pleased as punch all my friends hit the ground running in 2017, my resolution is…
Willa for President
I didn’t need Hillary to win last night to prove to my daughter that girls can do anything. That hard work sometimes doesn’t lead to the results you want, but you must never give up. That the world isn’t her oyster; it’s a sea of all sorts of fish. Some of them are delicious and…
6 Reasons Not to be a Halloween Hater
Halloween is around the corner. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Fall weather, pumpkin patches, my kids leaping off furniture dressed as their favorite superhero. What’s been surprising to me lately is a small number of parents who are—let’s call them—Halloween haters. To sweeten their animosity towards this kid-friendly holiday, here are a…
We Bought Our Kids Sheep…and Why You Should Too
I had visions of us all slipping on our matching Hunter boots and walking hand-in-hand to the barn where the sheep are patiently waiting. Five months after purchasing two Shetland yearlings, I’m realizing this will never happen. Ever. Let me be frank: my kids are spoiled. They live in a huge house, have their own…
To My Firstborn’s Kindergarten Teacher
Dear Mrs. Roberto, You don’t know me yet but you’ll notice me at kindergarten orientation. I’ll be overdressed. That’s because I don’t get out much. About a year and a half ago I quit to become a full-time mom. My oldest of three is about to start kindergarten in your class. I was nervous about…
5 Ways to Make Your House Look Like You Don’t Have Kids
“Where’s all your stuff?” It’s a question I’ve treated as rhetorical since the first of my three kiddos was born. We’ve lived in a cookie-cutter suburbia home, an 800 square-foot cottage and a completely open timberframe in the sticks. But one thing remains the same with each location: I’ve learned how to manage the mess….
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